


A Teachable Moment

by janiejanine



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 15:42:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1653872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janiejanine/pseuds/janiejanine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bethany has a lot to learn about romance. Luckily, Varric is an expert.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Teachable Moment

**Author's Note:**

> Bethany and Varric, flirting.

"What's wrong with me?" Bethany groaned, dropping her head onto the table with a  _clunk_. She raised it up and dropped it again for good measure. Maybe if it hurt enough, she'd stop blushing.

"Nothing. You're perfect, as always," Varric said smoothly. He poured two drinks from the bottle of brandy he kept hidden behind a stack of books and pushed one towards her. "What happened?"

"I'm an idiot."

"You're going to have to be more specific."

"Fine." She sighed. "I was talking to...someone. And I made a complete mess of it and I said the most stupid things and..." The rest of the sentence trailed off as she took a swig of the brandy.

"It couldn't have been that bad."

"It  _was_. I don't know what to  _say_. I told him I've always wondered what templars wore under their skirts."

"You sound like your sister."

"Varric!"

"Okay, okay. Sorry. And what did he say?"

"I don't know. I was so embarrassed. I just ran."

Varric leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up in what Bethany privately thought of as his orator pose, although she'd never tell him that.

"You see, Sunshine," he said, gesturing with his glass, "Flirting is like telling a story. What you leave out is just as important as what you put in."

"Uh-huh." She closed her eyes and let him talk. He'd get to the point eventually. In the meantime, she'd relax and let his soothing voice wash over her.

She opened them again just as he was finishing up his lecture about flirtation, or possibly narrative craft. One or the other.

"Flirting is about possibilities," he was saying. "When you flirt, you suggest. You allude. You don't spell it all out. Then it would just be dirty talk, and if you want help with  _that_ , talk to Rivaini."

"So instead of asking specifically about his skirt, I should say something vague about big swords and hope he gets the hint?"

"Exactly. Trust me. Bat your eyelashes, throw in a few double entendres, and he'll come to you. You just have to plant the idea."

She mulled that over. It was worth a try, she supposed. Assuming she could ever work up the courage to look him in the face again.

"Does that work on Bianca?" she asked.

Varric gave her a warning look. "Hey. Leave Bianca out of this."


End file.
